Cozumel, August 2014 - Year of the PipehorseAmphelikturus dendriticus, also known as Acentronura dendritica, is a species of pygmy pipehorse native to the western Atlantic Ocean. Similar to pipefish and seahorses, there is scientific debate about how pipehorses are related. Currently, the pipehorse is the only known member of its genus. Due to its small size (about one-inch), coloration, and habitat, this highly camouflaged creature is rarely seen. While we have found a few individuals in Cozumel before, thanks to the keen eyes of our dive master, we were fortunate to encounter many specimens on this trip – very, very exciting for even this experienced Cozumel diver.Pipehorse (Amphelikturus dentriticus)Pipehorses differ from seahorses in many ways: the pipehorse has a single gill opening on the back of the head while seahorses have two on the sides, the male pipehorse broods the young inside their trunk while seahorses brood them in a pouch on the tail, and the pipehorse's head is an extension of the trunk while seahorse heads are angled downward.Longsnout seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)The pipehorse should also not be confused with the pipefish, which does not have a prehensile tail among other physiological differences.Diamond pipefish (unidentified)“Welcome home!”Scuba Club CozumelSccShore dive. After arriving at SCC, checking in, having lunch, and unpacking, we grabbed a couple of tanks and went for a shore dive in front of the hotel. Entry is easy, down metal steps into a well that leads to the open water. There is a lot to see and photograph if you move slowly and look for little stuff. Robin Tackett has posted a great U-Tube video highlighting the artificial reefs and critters directly offshore. Check it out: Shore Diving at Scuba Club CozumelYellowline arrow crab (Stenorhynchus seticornis)Banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)Scrawled cowfish (Acanthostracion quadricornis)Goldentail moray (Gymnothorax miliaris)Sand diver (Synodus intermedius)True tulip (Fasciolaria tulipa) laying eggs.I went back a couple of days later to take a better picture of the egg cases; they look like little flowers.Day 2 Coral Diver with Jesús, Wayne & Jayson (Montreal), Tim & Julie (Oklahoma), Deborah and me.San FranciscoDeborah found the first pipehorse!!!!! (Amphelikturus dendriticus)Spotted scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri)img src="http://chemistry.csudh.edu/faculty/jim/cozaug2014/scorpionfish.jpg">Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)Painted elysia (Thuridilla picta)Blue-eye hermit crab (Paguristes cericeus)Villa BlancaSpotted cleaner shrimp (Pericimenes yucantanicus)Spotted cleaner shrimp (Pericimenes yucantanicus)on Sun anemone (Stichodactyla helianthus)Barred cardinalfish Apogon binotatus()Three-rowed sea cucumber (Isostichopus badionotus) – chocolate-chip cookie dough.Shopping trip to Mega and Chedraui for coffee cups and a rinse bucket for the cameras.Rain in the afternoon.Day 3 Coral Diver with Jesús and the same divers as the previous day.Dalila – very little currentNurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)French angelfish (Pomacanthus paru)Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbriocota)Pair of French angelfishWhitespotted filefish (Cantherhines macrocerus)TormentosGraysby (Cephalopholis cruentatus)This was a tiny little seahorse (Hippocampus reidi) .Coney (Cephalopholis fulvus)Linesnout goby (Gobiosoma sp)Coral DiverShore diveSmooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter)Stareye hermit (Dardanus venosus)Pyramid – it’s been about fifteen years since Hotel Cozumel moved this structure from their pool area to underwater.The sphinx. Spotted scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri)Spotted cleaner shrimp (Pericimenes yucantanicus)img src="http://chemistry.csudh.edu/faculty/jim/cozaug2014/spottedcleanershrimp2.jpg">Day 4 Coral Diver with Jesús, et al.Palancar GardensDolphins! This is a lousy picture - as the dolphins swam by, I just pointed the camera and pushed the shutter. In many, many years of diving, I've only seen dolphins underwater a handful of times.Black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci)Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbriocota)Chankanaab reefFlock of blue tangs (Acanthurus coeruleus)Milk conch (Strombus costatus)Coney (Cephalopholis fulvus) – golden juvenile.Moving onto the sand, inshore from the reef, Jesús found a couple of large seahorses hiding in plain sight.Longsnout seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)Day 5 Coral Dive with Jesús, the group plus George. Today is Jason’s fifteenth birthday!Colombia ReefHawksbill turtleFringe-back nudibranch (Dondice occidentalis) is a new find for us. Despite many, many years of diving in Cozumel’s waters, it seems we always find something new.This seaslug is very, very small as shown by my fingernail. Little red nudi (Gastropteron chacmol).Yocab reefScrawled filefish (Aluterus scriptus)Great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) at a cleaning station.Fiesta!Day 6 Coral Diver with Jesús, Mike, George, Deborah and me. Only four divers with our own dive guide – sweet!El Paso del Cedral, the wall and the reef. Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t Cedar Reef, but is named for its location near the road into the town of Cedral in the middle of the island.Blowing current on the wall so, at the end of the reef, we swam over to the inshore reef and did two dives for the price of one.Black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci)Green moray (Gymnothorax funebris)Black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci)A signature picture from el Paso del CedralPorkfish (Anisotremus virginicus)Guess what! More pipehorses…three on one dive!Pipehorse (Amphelikturus dendriticus)Paradise reef. We started at the beginning of the coral formation before moving off into the shallows to look for little stuff. The current switched directions and we drifted back to the beginning of the dive site.Fringed filefish (Monacanthus ciliatus) playing hide-and-go-seek in a gorgonium.Flamingo tongues (Cyphoma gibbosum) are normally pretty dormant, but this one was actively crawling around. Can you see the “eye” spot at the base of the antenna?Cottonwick (Haemulon melanurum)The bubbles are flamingo tongue egg cases.Shore diveFish eggsBlue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) being cleaned by a juvenile angelfishJuvenile scorpionfish (Scorpaenodes sp)Spotted cleaner shrimp (Pericimenes yucantanicus)Day 7 Observer with dive master Miguel, Mike, George, and us. El Paso del CedralHawksbill turtleFive nurse sharks!!!!Nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)Channel clinging crab (Mithrax spinosissimus)GeorgeWould you believe, more pipehorses or are these ones we found before?Punta Tunich “shallows” AKA San ClementeDay 8 Coral Diver with Jesús, Mike, George, Jim & Jan, and us.La FrancesaTunnels!  Parallel to the edge of the reef is a tunnel system that runs much of the length of the coral formation. This is a great place to look for large lobsters, crab, and green morays, or just enjoy the windows and shafts of sunlight filtering down through cracks in the rock. Unfortunately the green moray that we found was hidden, with only a tail showing.Spotted drum (Equetus punctatus) intermediate stagePunta TunichMidnight parrotfish (Scarus coelestinus)"Coming through! Make way!"Black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci)Porkfish and gruntsSpotted drumGray angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus)Day 9 Coral Diver with Jesús, Mark, Deb, Jim, Jan, George, Mike, and us.Santa Rosa WallSpendid toadfish (Sanopus splendidus)ParadiseTrumpetfish (Aulostomus maculatus)More flamingo tongue eggs.Pipe fish, no bigger than a thread!Diamond pipefish (unidentified)Linesnout goby (Gobiosoma sp)Shore diveSmooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter)Sailfin blenny (Emblemmaria pandionis)Caribbean reef squid (Sepioteuthus sepioidea)Day 10 Coral Diver with Jesús, Mark, Deb, Jim, Jan, George, and us.Palancar HorseshoeSan FranciscoSpotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) feeding. Another pipehorse? They're everywhere!I got real excited when I spotted what I thought was another pipe horse, but it turned out to be a pipefish."Run away! Run away! He's got a GoPro!"Ornate elysia (Elysia ornata), a sea slugReef CatDay 11 – Coral Diver with Jesús, Mark/Deb, Jim/Jan, Doug/Jodi, Mike, and us.Palancar CavesDoug and Jodi got married in Hawaii before coming to Cozumel on their honeymoon!ChankanaabSquirrelfish (Holocentrus adscensionis)Shy hamlet (Hypoplectrus guttavarius)Linesnout goby (Gobiosoma sp)Coney (Cephalopholis fulvus) bicolor variationSplendid toadfish (Sanopus splendidus)Day 12 Coral Diver with Jesús, Mark, Deb, Jim, Jan, Doug, Jodi, Mike, and us.Colombia BricksSwallowtail sea slug (Chelidonura hirundinina)Rock beauty (Holacanthus tricolor) "Weren't you just here in January?"TormentosMidnight parrotfish (Scarus coelestinus)Fringed filefish (Monacanthus ciliatus)Coney (Cephalopholis fulvus)Day 13 Coral Diver with Jesús, group of nine.DalilaNurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)Tiger grouper (Mycteroperca tigris)Blenny (Acanthemblemaria sp)Gray angelfish (Pomacanthus arcuatus)YucabQueen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris)More pipehorses???Longfin damselfish (Stegastes diencaeus) juvenileHogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus)Lettuce sea slug (Elysia crispata)Day 14 Coral Diver with Jesús and the gang.Colombia “Special”Colombia ShallowsBlenny (Acanthemblemaria sp)Lettuce sea slug (Elysia crispata). I looked and looked for these slugs but Jesús was the only one who could find any.Seahare (Aplysia sp)Coney (Cephalopholis fulvus) bicolor variationSand diver (Synodus intermedius)MiguelDay 15 Observer with Miguel, Deb, Mark, Jodi, Doug, and us.Santa Rosa WallNurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)ParadiseConey (Cephalopholis fulvus)Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus)Spendid toadfish (Sanopus splendidus)Sailfin blenny (Emblemmaria pandionis)Yellowline arrow crab (Stenorhynchus seticornis)Spotfin butterflyfish (Chaetodon ocellatus)Reef DiverDay 16 Coral Diver with Jesús, Mark, Deb, Doug, Jodi, Mike, Jana, and us.La FrancesaBarred hamlet (Hypoplectrus puella)Rainbow parrotfish (Scarus guacamaia)Midnight parrotfish (Scarus coelestinus)Chankanaab ReefSpotted cleaner shrimp (Pericimenes yucantanicus)Pipehorse…Ho, hum.Day 17 Dive Cat with Jesús, Mike, Jana, and us.Palancar GardensYucab reefBalloonfish (Diodon holocanthus)Sailfin blenny (Emblemmaria pandionis)Green moray (Gymnothorax funebris)Day 17 Dive Cat with Jesús, Mike, Jana, and us.Colombia BricksChankanaab ReefThe male sargent major (Abudefduf saxatilus) builds a nest and courts a female who lays her eggs in the nest while he fertilizes them. Longsnout seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)Day 18 Coral Diver with Jesús, Mike, Jana, us, and Chris (Dallas).DalilaSomething you don’t see every day in Cozumel, Chris with dual side tanks!Queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris)YucabA pair of Thuridilla picta engaged in sexYes, the invasive lionfish ( Pterois volitans) are still on the reefs. You can get pez leon (lionfish) tacos in town. Yes, another pipehorseYellowmouth grouper (Mycteroperca interstitialis)Day 19 Coral Diver with Jesús, Mike, Jana, Chris, Bryce (Utah), and us.Colombia ReefSan ClementeRainbow parrotfish (Scarus guacamaia)Christmas tree worm (Spirobranchus giganteus)Flamingo tongue showing the eye spots at the base of the antennae.Squirrelfish (Holocentrus adscensionis)Smooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter)Flamingo tongue (Cyphoma gibbosum)Midnight parrotfish (Scarus coelestinus)Night shore diveMagnificent urchin (Astropyga magnifica)Banded clinging crab (Mitrax cinctimanus)Parrotfish in his jammies, sleepingVelvet shrimp (Metapenaeopsis goodie)I've looked for the orange ball corallimorph (Pseudocorynactis carbbeorum) for years. With a little help from Robin Tackett, I found these just off the wall in front of Scuba Club!Crabs cannot mate through their exoskeletons. The male carries a smaller female around until she molts and then has his way before her shell hardens. Ocellate swimming crabs (Portunus sebae)Day 20 Coral Diver with Jesús, Mike, Jana, Chris, and us.San FranciscoPipehorsesYellowfin grouper(Mycteroperca venenosa) in his crazy underwear.ParadiseThuridilla pictaSmooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter)Day 21Adios Cozumel. Hasta el ańo proximo.

Photos were taken with an Olympus EM-5 and 12-50mm lens in a Nauticam housing fit with dual Sea and Sea strobes. All images are copyrighted and cannot be used without permission.